Friday, April 20, 2018

Slumgullion

Photo from The Baseball Project’s Facebook page.

This is my second post today. See the earlier one for information on Record Store Day, International Pop Overthrow, and All Things BBC!.

Depending on what time you read this, there might still be time to catch the Flirting With Disaster Neil Young Tribute at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn tonight. The always adventurous cover band EXPO ’76 will be performing in the Side Bar at FitzGerald’s.

International Pop Overthrow - Chicago kicked off tonight and will run through next Saturday, April 28 at the Heartland Cafe Bar, with multiple band showcases each night.

Tomorrow will your last chance to check out A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Punchline, an exhibit on comics, at the Chicago Literary Alliance.

Tickets went on sale today for Baseball Project at SPACE in Evanston on August 4. Hopefully, by that time the Cubs and the White Sox will be sitting comfortably atop their respective divisions. Previous shows by the national pastime inspired all-star band have included Mike Mills and Peter Buck from R.E.M.; Scott McCaughey from Young Fresh Fellows and Minus 5; Steve Wynn from The Dream Syndicate; and drummer Linda Pitmon.

Tickets also went on sale for New Pornographers at Thalia Hall on June 21.

Marshall Crenshaw and The Bottle Rockets will be performing two shows at The Old Town School Of Folk Music tomorrow night; one at 5:00 p.m. and one ar 8:00 p.m. Next Friday, April 27, Peter Case of The Plimsouls and The Nerves, will playing Szold Hall at The Old Town School Of Folk Music.

There will be an opening reception on May 12 for the Tony Fitzpatrick: The Secret Birds exhibit at the DePaul Art Museum. On May 23, Fitzpatrick will have a conversation with Chicago Tribune writer Rick Kogan from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the museum.

The Chicago Toy Show returns to the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles this Sunday for the first of its two events there in 2018. In addition to collectibles, action figures, Matchbox cars, and Star Wars treasures, the show also offers a fair amount rock and roll memorabilia.

The Buddy Holly Story kicks off a month-long run next Friday, April 27 at the American Blues Theater. Lili-Anne Brown will direct the Alan Janes play; with music directed by Michael Mahler.

Chicago-based power pop band Frisbie will be celebrating its 20th anniversary with a gig at Martyrs next Saturday. The Sunshine Boys, who haven’t celebrated their first anniversary yet but have years of experience in various other bands, are also on the bill that night.

There will be a Van Go Concert! Event next Saturday at Phyllis’ Musical Inn on Irving Park Road. The Chicago-based band, which has a flair for energetic, catchy songs that frequently pack a satirical punch, will be showcasing its upcoming album. Deadly Bungalows, Trita, and Kosi and the Thomas Matecki Trio are also on the bill that night.

A Charlie’s Angels graphic novel series will make its debut in June. I wonder if the artists will break from the 1970s TV drama by actually drawing Charlie.

My nephew Joe Flamm, who won this past season’s Top Chef honors on the Bravo Channel, will be throwing out the first pitch at the Chicago White Sox game this Sunday.

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About This Blog

Broken Hearted Toy is an eclectic celebration of creativity, with over 2,000 posts since 2009.

It's based in Chicago but covers power pop, garage, cutting-edge, and 1960s rock from around the globe; along with occasional bits on art; literature; and theatre.

Top of the hill is a nice place to be at. - - - "Elevated Observations" by The Hollies.

Check out some of my previoius creative endeavors.

Sunday Morning Coffee With Jeff was a weekly Internet show created by and starring Jeff Kelley. It mostly consisted of comedy bits and obscure 1960s garage rock set to vintage TV and film clips but also spotlighted entertainment events around Illinois.

My wife Pam and I created a handful of series (each episode was about two minutes long) that were shown on Sunday Morning Coffee With Jeff. They included Manchester Gallery (see description below); Old Days, which I hosted in the persona of a cranky old man named Fritz Willoughby; Roving Reporter, where I played the clueless title character; What's With Terry?, a performance arts program; and Hanging With The Hollies, a takeoff on Breakfast With The Beatles.

I've also worked with Kelley and Willy Deal on comedy clips, and with Kelley and David Metzger on films for the annual Nightmare on Chicago Street Halloween festival in Elgin.

I'm particularly proud of this 21-episode comedy series Pam and I created for Sunday Morning Coffee With Jeff. Each installment was a few minutes long, and featured me portraying Terrence, the curator of a pop culture museum.

I was a staff writer for this Chicago-based magazine from 1987 to 2015. The Illinois Entertainer has been covering rock music for over 40 years, and can be found in stores and entertainment venues, as well as in an online edition.

Chicago Art Machine was a web-based publishing company run by Editor-in-Chief, Kathryn Born, and Managing Editor, Robin Dluzen, that included Chicago Art Magazine, Chicago DIY Film,Chicago Performance And Trailers, and TINC. Most of my submissions appeared in Chicago DIY Film and Chicago Performance And Trailers, although I contributed to all the online Chicago Art Machine publications.

I was a writer and performer with this local comedy group from 1989 to 2009. Famous In The Future continues to perform in the Chicago area, and appeared at every one of the Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sinstheatre festivals that were held at the Mary-Arrchie Theatre. Since the closing of the Mary-Arrchie Theatre a few years ago, Famous In The Future has carried on the tradition by presenting Yippie Fest each year in August.

I'm an active member of SCBWI, (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and have written two Middle Grade fantasy novels. I've just finished a YA/paranormal novel, and also wrote a suspense/satiric novel that takes place amidst Chicago's alternative music scene in the mid-1980s.

Broken Hearted Toy

The blog title comes from the line, "I'm the brokenhearted toy you play with" in the song "I Can't Let Go" by The Hollies. One of the great original British Invasion bands, The Hollies continue to have an immense influence on power pop bands to this day, and have finally been inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Here is a video of "I Can't Let Go" being performed in 1966.